Wales Aim to Overcome Ireland Despite Recent Struggles
Dewi Lake has been a consistent starter for Wales during Steve Tandy's tenure as coach.
Wales captain Dewi Lake expressed confidence that his team can defy expectations and secure a victory against Ireland on Friday night in Dublin.
Wales have endured a challenging period, losing their last 14 Six Nations matches over three years, and suffering 24 defeats in 26 internationals since the 2023 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Ireland enter the match on the back of a commanding 42-21 away win over England and are strong favourites to win at the Aviva Stadium.
Despite this, Lake supports his team following a more promising performance in their narrow 26-23 loss to Scotland.
"We believe we can compete against Ireland because we think we're good enough, I don't think we would be here if we didn't think that," said the hooker.
"We believe that if we play our game and we get our things right, we can beat Ireland."
Team Updates and Historical Context
Wales have recalled Josh Mee for the upcoming Six Nations match against Ireland.
Ireland have made five changes to their starting lineup, with Timoney starting.
Wales have not won a Six Nations match in Dublin since 2012, and their last international victory at the Aviva Stadium was 11 years ago during a World Cup warm-up match.
Lake, who delivered an outstanding performance against Scotland 12 days prior, believes the team has made progress.
"I have said from game one there has been belief in the squad in this whole campaign," Lake stated.
"We showed our best against Scotland and everything kind of clicked for us.
"We put a bit more effort in defence in the week and you probably saw that, the mentality to go and defend.
"When we get the ball we look good in attack and have done over the last couple of months.
"That Scotland game is only going to give us more confidence, so we can go another level this weekend."
Embracing the Underdog Role
Lake believes Wales can leverage their status as underdogs, a position they have historically embraced.
"That's probably our favourite place to be really, the underdog," Lake said. "Being Welsh, we've always loved that, nobody giving us an opportunity.
"Nobody gave us an opportunity last round and we showed what we could do.
"I know ultimately we didn't come away with a result but that game has given us belief.
"That's only going to carry the momentum of this squad through this weekend."
Lake also expressed respect for Ireland and the Aviva Stadium, where he made his Wales international debut in 2022.
"They're one of the top teams in the world," Lake said. "They're always a great team and so we're excited to go and play them.
"Any time you play an Ireland team you expect tight, attacking shapes. The backs are deadly and they've got a couple of players in-form at the minute, Stuart McCloskey's playing unbelievably well."
Match details: Ireland vs Wales at Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Listen on Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, and BBC Radio Ulster. Watch on S4C.
Discussion on Lions Selection and Team Performance
Andy Farrell, Ireland head coach, selected only two Welsh players for the British and Irish Lions 2025 tour to Australia: flanker Jac Morgan and scrum-half Tomos Williams.
Lake was questioned about whether the Lions selection reflected the current gap between the two teams.
"It can't not, really," Lake responded. "Ultimately over the last 12 months, we haven't been good enough as a team.
"The two individuals, Tomos and Jac, are world-class players and fully deserved to be on that tour.
"We haven't put enough results together, we haven't shown the team and the individuals that we can be over the last 12 months.
"Ireland are a team that have massively grown and are top-class. It shows an obvious gulf at the minute. But on our day, we believe we can beat anyone."
Lake emphasized that Wales' motivation to compete against Ireland is not influenced by Farrell's selections.
"I don't think that's got anything to do with it as to why we think we can compete against Ireland," he said.
"Regardless of who's in the room, or who's coaching, we believe we're a good enough team to do a job on them."
